In a documentary titled "Return: Life After ISIS," Shamima Begum, known as the "ISIS Bride," has once again stirred controversy regarding her story of joining the terrorist organization, attributing her actions to a number of reasons to justify her decision.
Begum claimed that she fled the United Kingdom to join the organization at the age of 15 because she did not want to be left alone behind her friends, as reported by various foreign newspapers on Sunday. She justified her departure from East London in 2015 with her companions Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, stating she was young and naive and wanted to help people in war-torn Syria.
The organization "exploited us"
She further stated that ISIS supporters recruited her and her friends online to be "part of something," adding that the ISIS militants manipulated their feelings of guilt toward those suffering in Syria.
In her talk, the girl revealed how she made the decision to travel to Syria, saying, "I knew it was a big decision, but I felt the need to do it quickly." She added, "I didn't want to be the friend who fell behind." Additionally, she accused the British government of fabricating stories to revoke her citizenship, claiming she was very scared of ISIS's condemnation for her safety in the camp she resides in, northern Syria.
Loss of 3 Children
She urged the government to allow her to return home, asserting that she was not involved in ISIS crimes. She said, "People feel that I am responsible for ISIS crimes and think that I knew about these crimes and supported them, but that's not true."
Begum cried in the documentary while discussing the loss of her three children during the Syrian war, affirming that she wanted to kill herself due to grief. Regarding her daughter's death, she remarked, "When she died, it was very hard because I felt so alone and felt that my whole world was collapsing around me, and I could do nothing."
She added that the only thing that kept her alive was the child she was pregnant with, stating, "I felt my fault was that I didn't get them out quickly even though I didn't understand why they died."
Legal Battle
It is noted that Begum is currently detained in the al-Roj camp in northern Syria after the government stripped her of her British nationality, which has led to an ongoing legal battle. In February, the UK Supreme Court ruled that she cannot return to the UK to pursue an appeal against the revocation of her British citizenship.
Around 800 families live in the al-Roj camp, near the border with Turkey and Iran, which is much better than the al-Hol camp 80 miles away that houses 15,000 families, according to the "Daily Mail."
